Cultural projects

The Education and Culture Department works with Belgium’s African communities in a systematic way. Activity leaders, artists and specialists of African origin are involved in determining the content and organization of educational and cultural activities. This cooperation allows for a more accurate and nuanced representation of African cultures. This is in line with the RMCA’s general policy. Established in 2003, COMRAF (RMCA-African Associations Committee) is a consultative committee comprised of RMCA and African diaspora representatives.

Artist in residence at the RMCA

Call for residency in 2016Check the Dutch or French version of this page.

As part of an artist’s residency project planned with the DR Congo and supported by the DGD, the RMCA has hosted the Kinshasa architect-designer Iviart Izamba, who creates original and contemporary armchairs made from assorted recycled objects and covered with press clippings. His Mobutu armchair was acquired by the museum in 2011.

- The first part of this residency took place in 2014. During this phase, the artist looked at the museum’s archives from 1960 to 2010, especially those relating to the Congo. After cataloguing the press clippings and visuals, he proceeded to publication, having them printed on materials such as paper, leather, metal, wood and glass.

- The armchair manufacturing took place between 18 January and 17 April 2015 and was thus the second part of the artist’s residency. The main characteristic of the armchairs was being the use of recycled materials, in response to one of the key challenges facing African society: what to do about abandoned or discarded objects?

"The 4 armchairs are an installation, The Game of Thrones. They are not ordinary seats, but thrones." (I. Izamba) They were displayed from April to October 2015 in AfricaMuseum@BOZAR.

Creative projects for adults

For whom?

Everyone 16 or older can take part in a creative project: art lovers, hobbyists, artists, art students, art schools, professional training, individuals or groups.

What's it about?

We offer art and culture lovers the opportunity to create a ‘creative project’ and present it in the Museum. Inspired by material in and outside the Museum – exhibitions, the rich museum collection, contemporary works of art, discussions, documentation and photographs – participants work on a certain subject, usually as part of an exhibition.

The submitted work will be exhibited in one of the Museum’s rooms for several months, offering participants the opportunity to claim part of the Museum as their own. The objective is to involve adults in Museum activities in a direct and personal manner.

The prior editions Hats Off! (2007), Would You Like to Sit (2008) and Create Your Own Mask and Exhibit It at the RMCA (2009) featured a high level of creativity.

Edition 2013 : Museum off the reels - an audiovisual project

About seventy students, professors, artists and professionals in the audiovisual arts, and students from art colleges took part in the project. They created a video, a film, an animated feature, or clip no more than 4 minutes long on the role of the museum, its past, the present, and its future. These 24 films – in turns poetic, realistic, critical, amusing, or utopian – are the result. They are screened continuously in the museum’s rooms and via the website until the end of August 2013. More info on www.africamuseum.be/ingeblikt-enbobine.

Throughout an entire weekend, the Museum and its decor serve as backdrops to a wide range of activities for all ages and tastes: music, performances, demonstrations, conferences, workshops, dance, parades, etc.

Heritage (Erfenis)

On the initiative of rapper and actor Pitcho Womba Konga, some 15 Belgian artists of Congolese origin will lead a discussion of the 50 years since Congo’s independence.

What links do they maintain with this country and with their sources? How do they experience the shared history of Congo and Belgium? What place do they occupy in Belgium? How do they cope with their memories and multiple identities?

Urban music (soul, rap, R&B, funk, slam, reggae) is the common language for this soul-searching. As a hybrid, it reflects the project’s participants.

The project is planning to release a CD and hold a concert in spring 2010. CD proceeds will finance language and history teaching projects in the DRC. In addition, awareness-raising campaigns will be held in schools, universities and other educational institutions for the young to expand their thinking on the subject.